As of 1 July 2013, the electronic version of the Official Journal bears legal value instead of the paper version. Each issue is published as a set of documents in PDF/A format (one per official language) plus one XML document ensuring the overall coherency through hashes and a qualified electronic signature (a kind of digital signature defined in European law) extended with a trusted time stamp.

There is also a supplementary S series which contains invitations to tender, and other documents relating to the EU Procurement Directives (see: Government procurement in the European Union). The S Series is also the only series that is not issued in every working language of the Union. Each contracting authority issues notices in the language of its choice.